Originally Posted by
ryandelmundo
I would ask the opposite question: Why can a person not have privacy and anonymity when choosing where to spend their money?
You might argue that a hotel needs your identity to guarantee you don't, say, smash the place to bits, but there's other ways to handle this situation (say a third party that covers liability for a member) without compromising privacy.
For me it's not a question of privacy to hide activities that I'd rather not be let known. But I do have a problem with hotels making copies of passports and other forms of IDs. Ever wonder how that information is handled? Almost all hotels have terrible data security practices and your information can very easily be stolen. Creating fake identities from there on in your name becomes much easier from there. I've been in brand name hotels (e.g., Marriott) where I've seen piles of copies of guests' passports on the desk. I could have easily walked away with a few of them without anyone noticing. I make a stink every now and then at various hotels around the world. But I need to sleep, so I inevitably give in.